11 Underrated Fruit Trees You Can Plant in September

September offers an excellent opportunity, in many climates, to plant fruit trees. Because of a combination of factors, your trees will have an opportunity to establish strong, healthy roots before their winter dormancy. Starting your trees now gives them a head start for spring. It makes them more resilient, more drought-tolerant, and faster to bear fruit in the coming years. 

As the summer heat fades, cooler temperatures inflict less stress on young trees and other plants. However, in September, unlike the spring, you have warm soil that helps roots develop faster. This combination encourages your fruit trees to focus on root growth. It gives them several months to become established before they spring into growth mode.

Apples, pears, peaches, and plums are wonderful for planting this time of year. Everyone knows these popular fruits, and they are wonderful to have in the yard. But these aren’t the only fruit trees you can plant at this time.

Let’s take a look at some seriously underrated fruit trees to plant in September. These trees may not be the first to come to mind, but they deliver delicious fruit and look great in the garden. 

Fig Tree

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Little Miss Figgy™ Fig Tree

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Nectarine Tree

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Hardired Nectarine Tree

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Mulberry Tree

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Everbearing Mulberry Tree

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Fig ‘Little Miss Figgy™’

	botanical name Ficus carica ‘Little Miss Figgy™’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4’-6’
	hardiness zones 5-10

Historically, figs symbolize fertility, peace, prosperity, and abundance. They’re also lovely trees that produce sweet, delicious fruits, great for making all kinds of tasty treats, both sweet and savory. In spite of their virtues, figs are an underrated tree when it comes to selecting fruits for the home garden.

‘Little Miss Figgy™’ is a delightful dwarf variety prized for its delicious fruit and ornamental appeal. It only grows to about six feet tall, but it still produces an abundant crop of rich, sweet, flavorful figs. 

This is a naturally tidy grower and needs little maintenance or pruning. Planting these fruit trees in September will bring the possibility of fruit the next year. Many fig trees produce fruit in their first or second year. 

Nectarine ‘Hardired’

	botanical name Prunus persica var. Nucipersica ‘Hardired’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 10’-12’
	hardiness zones 5-8

Nectarines are an underrated relative of peaches. They have a similar flavor and appearance, but with smooth, glossy skin rather than a fuzzy exterior. Planting these fruit trees in September helps them adapt to their new space long before the spring growing season occurs. 

‘Hardired’ is a self-pollinating nectarine that produces medium-to-large-sized fruits. They are sweet and juicy, known for having excellent flavor. For a nectarine, this one is surprisingly cold-hardy. The freestone fruits grow on a self-pollinating tree, so you only need to plant one for it to produce. 

Everbearing Mulberry

	botanical name Morus nigra
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 15’
	hardiness zones 4-10

Mulberry trees are one of the most underrated fruits I can think of. The sweet, blackberry-like fruits grow in abundance on this low-maintenance tree. The everbearing mulberry is a small, productive cultivar known for its extra-long harvest season. Standard mulberries ripen all at once, but not this one. 

Everbearing mulberries ripen over several months, from late spring through late summer. They’re well-suited to home gardens because of their compact size and ease of harvesting. They’re also self-pollinating, so all you need is one for juicy, delicious berries throughout the summer. They’re also a favorite among birds, if you don’t mind sharing.

Persimmon ‘Fuyu’

	botanical name Diospyros kaki ‘Fuyu’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 12’-15’
	hardiness zones 7-11

When it comes to underrated fruit trees for September, the persimmon certainly has a spot on the list. Some varieties can be a bit astringent, but not ‘Fuyu.’

This popular and widely grown persimmon has crisp, sweet fruit and is easy to grow. Because they are sweet, you can eat them when they are hard or allow them to soften. They are tasty either way.

‘Fuyu’ isn’t just prized for its tasty fruits. It’s also a wonderful ornamental. It’s mid-sized, reaching up to 20 feet tall, and has a lovely, rounded canopy. The leaves are glossy and green in summer, but they put on an incredible show in autumn. They turn gorgeous shades of red, orange, and yellow, adding flair to the autumn garden. 

Kumquat ‘Fukushu’

	botanical name Fortunella obovata ‘Fukushu’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 10’-15’
	hardiness zones 4-11

Kumquats have a lot to offer for such an underrated fruit tree. They add plenty of ornamental value to the garden, along with their tasty little kumquats. The ‘Fukushu’ variety is a smaller, rounded variety that is great for small spaces or container growing. It’s known as one of the best for fresh eating, since the slightly sweet peel balances out the tangy pulp.

In spring and summer, ‘Fukushu’ produces fragrant, white flowers. Round to oval fruits follow. They are small and mature quickly. The skin of this variety is thinner than usual, making it easier to eat.

Kumquats are excellent for candying and making preserves or infusions. September is an ideal time to plant these fruit trees. 

Lychee ‘Mauritius’

	botanical name Litchi chinensis ‘Mauritius’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 20’
	hardiness zones 9-11

The ‘Mauritius’ lychee is one of the most widely grown and reliable lychee cultivars. It’s especially valued for its productivity and sweet, aromatic fruit.

While this cultivar is popular, in general, lychee trees are more difficult to find. One advantage of ‘Mauritius’ is that the fruit often has a small and shriveled seed. This means you get more edible flesh per fruit compared to other varieties.

Plant these fruit trees in September to help them get acclimated to their new location before spring. ‘Mauritius’ is more cold-tolerant than most varieties, but it is still only a sure thing in frost-free climates. It will begin to bear fruit in about three to five years, and can grow into a lovely shade tree of up to 30 feet tall. 

Cold Hardy Pomegranate

	botanical name Punica granatum
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 8’-10’
	hardiness zones 6-9

The cold-hardy pomegranate is a special group of pomegranate varieties. These underrated varieties withstand colder winters than standard types.

Most pomegranates thrive only in mild climates. Cold-hardy cultivars can tolerate temperatures down to about 0 to 10°F (-18 to -12°C) once established. This makes them suitable for USDA Zones 6–10. 

Plant these fruit trees in September to help them set down roots in the warm soil. The cool air will keep things stress-free. These are typically compact, reaching only about 12 feet tall at maturity. That makes them easy to care for and harvest from. 

Goji Berry

	botanical name Lycium barbarum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8’-10’
	hardiness zones 5-9

The goji berry plant is more of a large shrub than a tree. It’s a hardy, deciduous shrub with nutrient-rich berries and adaptability in the garden. Its slender, arching stems carry narrow gray-green leaves. In late spring to summer, it produces small purple, star-shaped flowers that give way to bright orange-red berries. 

Goji berries are sweet-tart and packed with nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins A and C, and minerals. This makes them popular in health foods, teas, and smoothies. They are surprisingly tough and versatile, with a significant growing range.

Plant this underrated fruit tree in September, and while you’re at it, plant two. They will fruit on their own, but are more productive with a companion. 

Olive

	botanical name Olea europaea
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 15’-30’
	hardiness zones 8-10

This is the underrated fruit tree I’m planting this September in my garden. Olives are exceptional trees that are evergreen, ornamental, and exceptionally long-lived. Their foliage is silvery and fine, and in spring, they produce small white flowers that give way to their famous fruits. These typically ripen in late summer. 

Olive trees like hot, dry climates. They’re well adapted to zones 8-10. Some more cold-hardy cultivars can tolerate dips into the teens. With protection, you might get away with these in zone 7. They’re drought-tolerant, and planting these fruit trees in September will help establish them before their spring growing season. 

Note that these trees are invasive in areas of the Southwest, and some states have outlawed shipping olive trees to these areas.

Sugar Apple

	botanical name Annona squamosa
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 10’-20’
	hardiness zones 9-11

The sugar apple tree is a tropical to subtropical fruit prized for its unique, scaly-skinned fruit. They may look funny, but they have a creamy, sweet, custard-like flesh. This underrated plant is a small, deciduous tree that usually reaches 10 to 20 feet tall with an open, spreading canopy. The leaves are narrow and lance-shaped, giving the tree a soft, airy look. 

In late spring to summer, sugar apple produces small, greenish-yellow flowers. They develop into round to heart-shaped fruit, covered in knobby segments. The flavor is rich and sweet, often compared to a blend of banana and custard. Plant a sugar apple in your zone 9-11 garden in September, you won’t regret it!

Japanese Loquat

	botanical name Eriobotrya japonica
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 15’-20’
	hardiness zones 4-11

Loquat may sound similar to kumquat, but these underrated fruit trees are distinctively different. For starters, while kumquats are a type of citrus, loquats are more closely related to peaches. Their small, oval fruits are similar in appearance, but they have seeds and a mellower flavor.